Parent fight involving 30 breaks out at soccer game

Parent used racial slur, say police

Police were called to a fight between parents at a youth soccer tournament in Barrie, Ont., Saturday.

The fight involved verbal and some physical confrontations between an estimated 30 people, including parents, at the Victoria Woods soccer field on Lillian Crescent, said Barrie police.

The fight was a result of a call made during a boys' under-14 game involving teams from the Kitchener Soccer Club and the Barrie Soccer Club. Parents on the sidelines disagreed with the referee's call and things escalated when one of the parents directed a racial slur at a black family from Kitchener, said Sgt. Curt Phillips of the Barrie Police.

"The parents of both teams had an opinion of what was happening on the field and they got in a confrontation about it," said Kim Nicholl, administrative consultant for the Barrie Soccer Club.

Officials from the Barrie Soccer Club, who were hosting the tournament for teams from across Ontario, called police who arrived at the scene and broke up the fight.

No charges have been laid, but the Barrie Soccer Club said they will be speaking with parents.